Colourful coffee shop that’s bringing a Colombian community to Formby

A brightly-coloured coffee shop is bringing a taste of Colombia to Formby.

Co-owner Jenny Rodriguez is hoping to treat customers to some of the best coffee from the country when Francini Café de Colombia opens in Chapel Lane this Saturday.

And she is also offering the chance to savour its wonderful food and warm hospitality – all served with a super-happy South American vibe.

She said:

“When people think of Colombia they think of drugs, Narcos, and Pablo Escobar. But Colombia is so much more than that, and we would like to change that perception.

“It’s a beautiful country, and we have coffee too, and jewels like emeralds.

“Colombia is an amazing and colourful place, and that’s what we have created here, a little Colombian community.

“We are proud of where we come from, and we want people to see that other side.”

Jenny adds:

“Colombia is friendly with a sense of humour similar to Liverpool which is why it is such a good fit.

“We even have good footballers,” she smiles, “although sadly Luis Diaz has just left Liverpool…”

Jenny, 34, is opening Francini Café de Colombia with husband Andres, 43, and they’ve teamed up with husband and wife coffee growers, importers and sellers Sandra and Francini Osorio, who have a similar coffee shop in Worcester.

Jenny and Andres are originally from the Colombian capital Bogota, and Francini, 60, and Sandra, 45, are from Armenia and Popayan where Francini’s family has grown coffee on farms for years.

“Andres and I came to the UK three years ago so I could finish my Master’s in business administration,” explains Jenny. “We originally lived in Hertfordshire but it was Andres who suggested moving to Merseyside because he is a big Liverpool fan and he wanted to live near Anfield!

“I got a job working for the Liverpool Diocese two years ago but, we are entrepreneurs who had a restaurant in Colombia, and we wanted to do something similar here.

“After researching coffee we decided to open a coffee shop and form an alliance with Francini and Sandra.”

She goes on:

“I had visited Formby before with my job and fallen in love with the village, so this was where we decided to open it, and it’s perfect.”

Jenny, Andres – who gave up his job in logistics – and Francini have spent months transforming Francini Café de Colombia, using recycled wooden pallets to make much of the furniture and wall decorations to give it a rustic and authentic feel, and painting it in bright yellows, reds and blues, the colours of the Colombian flag.

They will serve six types of ‘amazing’ coffee – the majority grown on Francini and Sandra’s farms – and traditional food like empanadas, a Latin America type of pasty, and arepas, savoury, flat corn cakes made from ground maize dough that are typically grilled or fried and filled with things like cheese and chicken.

The menu also includes pizzas, salads and breads, and milkshakes and premium teas and more, to adapt to a UK market.

“We are so excited to see Francini Café de Colombia open, and we are hoping this is the first with hopes of one in Liverpool town centre and Chester soon (we are dreaming of that anyway).

“But it’s not just about serving coffee. It’s about community. Like people from Liverpool, Colombians love to chat, and we are friendly.

“We want to offer a warm customer service and let people know they are not just buying our coffee, they are part of our community, part of our family.

“People come back because of how you treat them, so we want to offer amazing customer service, amazing coffee and Colombian food.

“It’s going to be great – and we say that not in an arrogant way but a humble way; we know who we are and we know our heritage.

“But we are something else. We are different. I always say our country is a paradise, and we want to bring that here.”

Francini Café de Colombia will open on Saturday, October 18 from 1pm, and will then be open daily (full times to be decided).